1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to minimally invasive spine surgery and, more particularly, to using an arthroscopic type portal or open facet joint fusion surgical instrumentation for insertion of either pre-made, pre-shaped synthetic cortical bone or harvested and compacted iliac crest grafts, autologous or cadaveric allografts. The graft and fusion system is limited to the forty-eight facet joints located on the spine, C1-C2 through L5-S1.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the United States alone, about 10% of the entire population will suffer from back pain sometime in the next twelve months. More people will contract back pain in the next year than any other injury or disease except the common cold and flu. About one-third will not recover and have to live with persistent, disabling symptoms. The number is cumulative year after year.
One of the root causes of back pain, particularly the persistent and disabling kind, are facet joints, small joints located behind adjacent vertebrae in the spine that allow for spinal motion.
Present surgical solutions available for the millions of people with facet joint dysfunctions are complex, invasive, pedicle screw based high-risk operations with prolonged recovery times, from 6 to 24 months, and uncertain outcomes. High risk equates to frequent litigation, which forces non-surgical symptomatic treatment while the disease or consequences of injury progressively worsen. Some of these efforts provide intervertebral fusion described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,518 and U.S. Patent Application Serial Number 2003/0032960. Numerous patents have been granted for general fusion of the spine that may or may not involve the facet joint by proximity or design.
With the advent of new, safer and less invasive surgical techniques and technology, the growth of spine surgery now outpaces every other orthopedic surgery segment. Its growth is further fueled by an enormous demand.